Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and Ward 2 Councilor J.T. Scott invite you to a virtual community meeting about a new park planned for 217 Somerville Ave. The city is transforming the site, currently a vacant lot at the corner of Somerville Avenue and Rossmore Street, into a pocket park, which will add approximately .15 acres to Somerville’s open space network. Join this meeting to learn more about potential design elements and share ideas for the park. This is the first of several meetings that will take place in the coming months to gather input from the community. The meeting will take place on Wednesday, August 2, at 6:00 p.m. on Zoom. To learn more and attend, go to voice.somervillema.gov/217-somerville-ave.

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Do you know a Purple Heart recipient or family member? Community members are invited to attend a designation ceremony at noon on Monday, August 7, at Dilboy Post, 529 (351 Summer St.) to commemorate National Purple Heart Day and to mark Somerville as a designated Purple Heart City and part of the Military Order of the Purple Heart Trail. For more information, contact the Somerville Veterans’ Office at veterans@somervillema.gov or call (617)625-6600 x4700.

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Happy birthday this week to several locals: Happy birthday to a local guy, Zach Zasloff. We wish him a great day. Happy birthday to Maria Mancini, we hope she enjoyed her day. Wishing a very happy birthday Natalia Potaris. We wish her a very special day. To Kaitlin Denk, we wish her a very happy birthday. We hope she had a great day with her family. Happy birthday to Ron Newman, we hope he has a great day. Happy birthday to Alicia Lafuente, we wish her the very best. We wish all of our Facebook friends, such as Jason Banning, Karen D’Amato, Mike Morrison, Sharon Paglia Breen, Danzombie Guilmain, Tori Antonino, Michele Oliphant Spinale, Jane Sherrill, Montague Helen Kern, Zach Corey, Keith Anderson, John Alan Roderick and Heather Hanson a very happy birthday. We hope everyone has a great day. To all the others we may have missed.

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The Mayor’s Annual Senior Picnic is back on Tuesday, August 8, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Trum Field (541 Broadway). There will be music, lunch and entertainment. To attend please call Connie Lorenti at 617-625-6600, ext. 2319.

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Somerville’s Urban Forestry Committee and collaborators are developing ways to celebrate our hard-working city trees. If you want to join in helping, you can Adopt-A-Tree. Look for colorful “Adopt me!” tags on newly planted trees in your neighborhood. Scan the QR code on the tag or visit tinyurl.com/somervilletree to go through the steps to adopt the tree. Name it, water it, love it. You can even receive an adoption certificate available in many languages. Watering is the most important thing you can do to help a newly planted tree. They require 15-20 gallons of water each week between May-October, or even more during hot summer months.

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The Somerville Mobile Farmers Market is open for the season, selling fresh, local produce through October 28. The market schedule is as follows: Thursdays: 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.: Clarendon Hill Towers (1372 Broadway), Fridays: 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: Council on Aging/SCALE (167 Holland St.), 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.: East Somerville Community School (50 Cross St.). Saturdays: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.: Mystic Housing Development (25B Memorial Rd., at the playground). The market accepts cash, debit, credit, SNAP, WIC Farmers Market Coupons, and Senior Farmers Market Coupons. All are welcome. To learn more, visit: somervillema.gov/farmersmarket.

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Join the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) on August 7 for a 12-mile bicycle ride exploring the Mystic and Malden Rivers. Meet at 5:15 p.m. at Paul Revere Park in Charlestown, just north of the locks.

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Join Boynton Yards and Once Somerville for the next free block party filled with live music, games, crafts, vendors, food trucks and cold drinks on August 19. Sip, nosh, shop, play, craft, and rock out with delicious food, talented vendors, and incredible artists from around the world. To RSVP for your free ticket, visit www.oncesomerville.com.

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Yart Sale is back, Saturday, August 12, from 12:00 to 6:00 p.m., (rain date 08/13) citywide. 

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The Center for Arts at the Armory needs your support. Join them for an important community meeting on August 15 at 7:00 p.m. in the Performance Hall, 191 Highland Ave. This meeting is an opportunity for Center for Arts at the Armory, to present to the community, their mission, leadership, business plan, events, programs, services and successes. They will also be presenting ways in which you can engage with this process and make your voice heard. Learn more under their event page on their website www.artsatthearmory.org.

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East Somerville’s Summer Carnaval Block Party Series kicked off last month. These block parties will be held at 115 Broadway (East Somerville Public Library) and on Illinois Ave. on Sunday evenings once a month. Enjoy live music, food, and activities for the whole family. The next block parties take place August 20 and September 10.

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Become a crossing guard and help keep our students safe. Training is provided, $20.23 / hour, perfect attendance bonus, clothing allowance, uniforms provided, and paid snow days. Send your resume to careers@somervillema.gov or apply at somervillema.gov/careers.

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Save the date, Tuesday, September 19. The 2023 Foodie Crawl planning is in the works. Taste the world on Broadway in East Somerville and support East Somerville Main Streets.

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Another event coming up is the Somerville Greek Festival. Enjoy delicious, authentic Greek food and pastry, dance under the big tent to live music and enjoy a cold beer or wine while taking in the excitement at the largest Greek food festival in town. The festival will run September 8 and 9 from 12:00 to 11:00 p.m. and Sunday, September 10 from 12:00 to 9:00 p.m. Plenty of free parking. The menu will be posted ahead of this event, with plenty of vegetarian options. The Somerville Greek Festival is an annual event of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary Orthodox Church, 29 Central St., Somerville. and open to the general public. It is a major fundraiser which allows the community of faithful to continue to serve the Somerville community through philanthropy, liturgical services, classes, youth ministries and much more. Visit dormitionchurch.org.

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The Somerville Council on Aging is holding Blood Pressure Screening on Monday, August 7, from 9:45 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Celeste Gearhart, RN from the Public Health Nursing Department will be visiting the Holland St. Center to conduct blood pressure screenings. She will be taking blood pressures and handing out educational materials on heart health. Stop by to get your blood pressure taken, meet with Celeste, and ask her any questions you may have.

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Dilboy Pool, 110 Alewife Brook Parkway, is now open for the summer season. Pool hours are Monday – Friday, 11:00 a.m. – 6:45 p.m., Saturday – Sunday, 11:00 a.m. – 4:45 p.m. Pool admission: Children – $1. Adults – $2. Ginny Smithers Pool at the Kennedy School, 5 Cherry St., summer hours Monday – Wednesday, 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Resident registration for summer swimming lessons opened on July 3. Non-resident opened on July 5 at 8:00 a.m. Limited spots are available. Visit somervillema.myrec.com.

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The City of Somerville’s annual SomerMovieFest returns this year with a series of seven family-friendly films being shown in parks around Somerville. Screenings begin at dusk. The next screening will be Top Gun: Maverick, Thursday, August 3, 8:33 p.m., Seven Hills Park (Somerville Community Path and Buena Vista Rd.).

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Enjoy free outdoor movies, popcorn, candy, and fun at The Block at Boynton Yards, all summer long. Friday Flicks Outdoor Movie Nights at Boynton Yards will start at 7:00 p.m. with yard games and fun, followed by candy, popcorn, and movies once the sun sets. Bring a blanket and get ready for a fun-filled evening. August 11: Raiders of the Lost Ark and September 15: The Little Mermaid (1995 version). Boynton Yards, 110 South Street.

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The Somerville Police Dept. is happy to announce the return of the Junior Police Academy for Somerville Youth Grades 5, 6, 7, 8. The program will run August 7 – 11 and feature a variety of training situations in which all cadets will be required to participate in. The program will include, but not limited to classroom training, hand on police tactics, and physical training, Travel days to special events and more. To sign up, please go to the Somerville Recreation page: https://bit.ly/3JZbZun.

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The Free Lockboxes for Seniors Program is intended to provide police, fire and emergency medical services (EMS) access to your residence in the event of an emergency where you are unable to open the door. A key to your residence will be stored in a secure metal storage device, like a realtor’s lockbox, at your residence. The access code to the lockbox will only be available to police, fire or EMS personnel and be used only during an emergency. The program is targeted towards Somerville residents who live alone and are aged 65+, or those who are disabled and/or suffer from major medical issues at any age. Individuals living in apartment complexes or other facilities with maintenance staff are not eligible for this program. For more information, please contact Debby Higgins at 617-625-6600, ext. 2321 or email Debby at dhiggins@somervillema.gov.

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For updates and detours connected to Spring Hill Sewer Separation project, visit: https://voice.somervillema.gov/springhillsewer.

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Don’t forget to visit Somerville’s farmers markets. Every Wednesday through November 22, 12:00 – 6:00 p.m. visit the Davis Square Farmers Market, across from American Flatbread at 44 Day St. Visit: www.massfarmersmarkets.org/davis. Every Saturday through October 28, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., the Union Square Farmers Market takes place at 66-70 Union Sq. visit: www.unionsquaremain.org/2023-fmseason.

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With hot summer days ahead, the Somerville Homeless Coalition is looking for essential supplies to help keep those without a home safe and cool. Whether it’s sunscreen or juice boxes, they have compiled an Amazon wish list with key summer items for clients. If you are interested in donating you can do so through the link provided or by dropping items off at their Engagement Center located at 1 Davis Square between Monday and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (closed 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. for lunch). https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2S0DQDB857065?ref_=wl_share&fbclid=IwAR1ZHXC1YJnbbt36ZicxPnsR7pAEJ4dP1rODG5sNovyNzGE68py31ENo.

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